have you ever walked into a pharmacy and noticed that some drugs are tucked away behind the pharmacy counter and wondered what these medications are in fact these are behind the-counter drugs commonly known as BTC products non-prescription medications that require special handling let's discuss BTC medications and what pharmacy technicians need to know about them in the previous video on pharmacology we just learned how drugs work and cause profound effects on the body some medications can even lead to dependency and addiction to protect consumers Regulators have established guidelines for handling addictive substances among which are behind the counter medications behind the counter BTC drugs are non-prescription medications that due to their potential for misuse are kept behind the Pharmacy Counter these medications may only be sold in limited quantities or might require a pharmacist's approval for purchase examples of products that could be labeled as BTC include cough syrups that contain guenin and Codine these are schedule five medications with specific limitations on how much and how often they may be purchased emergency contraceptives can also be considered BTC because they require the purchaser to be at least 17 years old and have a valid ID and a record must be kept in the pharmacy in addition any products containing ephedrine pseudo ephedrine or phenol propanolamine are required to be BTC in an effort to control the illegal compounding of methamphetamine as you may recall methamphetamine is classified as a schedule two controlled substance due to its high potential for abuse and the severe psychological and physical dependence it can cause phenol propanolamine once an ingredient in some cold medications and weight loss products is no longer available in the US however pseudo fedrin with the brand name as PSE Sudafed is widely available for treating nasal congestion sinus pressure and upper respiratory symptoms these medications must be BTC and are subject to strict regulations as we discussed previously the combat methamphetamine epidemic Act of 2005 enforces specific regulations on the sale of these BTC drugs a customer must present identification the pharmacy technician must document the customer's name address date and time of purchase and the quantity sold sales records must be kept for at least 2 years moreover the total amount of sales of these medications must not exceed 3.6 gram per day or 9 gram per month of raw active ingredient not including salt such as hydrochloride HCL all non-liquid forms including gel caps must be in two unit blister packs if a blister pack is not technically feasible the product may be in unit dosage packets or pouches we've covered the definition of behindthe counter drugs specific examples like pseudo aedine and the regulations that govern their sale as pharmacy technicians it's vital to adhere to these regulations to prevent misuse and ensure the safety of our customers always stay updated on the laws and guidelines related to BTC products